Free Essays on Control Through Coercive Persuasion

CONTROL THROUGH COERCIVE PERSUASION How does one define control? Webster’s dictionary defines control as â€Å"to exercise restraining or directing influence over† or to regulate and rule. (Merriam-Webster’s p. 252) There are many methods of control used by people and organizations. Propaganda and persuasion are two methods of exerting influence over an individual or group of people. A more systematic and powerful method of persuasion is coercive persuasion. â€Å"Coercive persuasion and thought reform are alternate names for programs of social influence capable of producing substantial behavior and attitude change through the use of coercive tactics, persuasion, and/or interpersonal and group-based influence manipulations â€Å"(Ofshe, p. 222) A coercive persuasion program is a behavioral change technology applied to cause the "learning" and "adoption" of a set of behaviors or an ideology under certain conditions. Coercive persuasion is not a religious ritual, it is a control device. Through coercive persuasion, a more powerful method of control can be applied. This type of persuasion is typically applied by cults but is not limited to them. (Dolan 2000; Singer 1987) There is instinctive human need to belong to a group. (Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2001) Most people generally perceive cults as religious organizations. Cults can be defined as â€Å"Groups with religious, political, psychological, and other ideologies at their core, which almost universally offer as their central theme a special new psychological awareness handed down by an indisputable and arbitrary authority that uses the technique of thought reform (intense indoctrination or re-socialization, coercive persuasion brainwashing.† (Singer, p. 1467) Cults share similarities to everyday social groups like work, school and family. â€Å"Cults use the same persuasion tactics often used by other propagandists; cults just us them in a more thorough and complete... Free Essays on Control Through Coercive Persuasion Free Essays on Control Through Coercive Persuasion CONTROL THROUGH COERCIVE PERSUASION How does one define control? Webster’s dictionary defines control as â€Å"to exercise restraining or directing influence over† or to regulate and rule. (Merriam-Webster’s p. 252) There are many methods of control used by people and organizations. Propaganda and persuasion are two methods of exerting influence over an individual or group of people. A more systematic and powerful method of persuasion is coercive persuasion. â€Å"Coercive persuasion and thought reform are alternate names for programs of social influence capable of producing substantial behavior and attitude change through the use of coercive tactics, persuasion, and/or interpersonal and group-based influence manipulations â€Å"(Ofshe, p. 222) A coercive persuasion program is a behavioral change technology applied to cause the "learning" and "adoption" of a set of behaviors or an ideology under certain conditions. Coercive persuasion is not a religious ritual, it is a control device. Through coercive persuasion, a more powerful method of control can be applied. This type of persuasion is typically applied by cults but is not limited to them. (Dolan 2000; Singer 1987) There is instinctive human need to belong to a group. (Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2001) Most people generally perceive cults as religious organizations. Cults can be defined as â€Å"Groups with religious, political, psychological, and other ideologies at their core, which almost universally offer as their central theme a special new psychological awareness handed down by an indisputable and arbitrary authority that uses the technique of thought reform (intense indoctrination or re-socialization, coercive persuasion brainwashing.† (Singer, p. 1467) Cults share similarities to everyday social groups like work, school and family. â€Å"Cults use the same persuasion tactics often used by other propagandists; cults just us them in a more thorough and complete...

An Interpretation of Langston Hughes Early Autumn

An Interpretation of Langston Hughes Early Autumn Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is best known for writing poems like The Negro Speaks of Rivers or Harlem. Hughes has also written plays, nonfiction, and short stories such as Early Autumn.  The latter originally appeared in the Chicago Defender on September  30, 1950, and was later included in his 1963 collection, Something in Common and Other Stories. It has also been featured  in a collection called The Short Stories of Langston Hughes, edited by Akiba Sullivan Harper. What Flash Fiction Is At fewer than 500 words, Early Autumn is yet another example of flash fiction written before anyone was using the term flash fiction.  Flash fiction is a very short and brief version of fiction that is generally a few hundred words or less as a whole. These types of stories are also known as sudden, micro, or quick fiction and can include elements of poetry or narrative.  Writing flash fiction can be done by using just a few characters, shortening a story, or starting in the middle of a plot.   With this analysis of the plot, a point of view, and other aspects of the story, the following will lead to a better understanding of Early Autumn.   A Plot Involving  Exes Two former lovers, Bill and Mary, cross paths in Washington Square in New York. Years have passed since they last saw each other. They exchange pleasantries about their jobs and their children, each of them perfunctorily inviting the others family to visit. When Marys bus arrives, she boards and is overwhelmed by all the things she has failed to say to Bill, both in the present moment (her address, for instance), and presumably, in life. The Story Begins With a Point of View of the Characters The narrative starts with a brief, neutral history of Bill and Marys relationship. Then, it moves to their current reunion, and the omniscient narrator gives us some details from each characters point of view. Almost the only thing Bill can think about is how old Mary looks. The audience is told, At first he did not recognize her, to him she looked so old. Later, Bill struggles to find something complimentary to say about Mary with, Youre looking very ... (he wanted to say old) well. Bill seems uncomfortable (a little frown came quickly between his eyes) to learn that Mary is living in New York now. Readers get the impression that he hasnt thought much about her in recent years and is not enthusiastic about having her back in his life in any way. Mary, on the other hand, seems to harbor affection for Bill, even though she was the one who left him and married a man she thought she loved. When she greets him, she lifts her face, as if wanting a kiss, but he just extends his hand. She seems disappointed to learn that Bill is married. Finally, in the last line of the story, readers learn that her youngest child is also named Bill, which indicates the extent of her regret for ever having left him. The Symbolism of the Early Autumn Title in the Story At first, it seems obvious that Mary is the one who is in her autumn. She looks noticeably old, and in fact, she is older than Bill. Autumn represents a time of loss, and Mary clearly feels a sense of loss as she desperately reach[es] back into the past. Her emotional loss is emphasized by the setting of the story. The day is almost over and its getting cold. Leaves fall inevitably from the trees, and throngs of strangers pass Bill and Mary as they talk. Hughes writes, A great many people went past them through the park. People they didnt know. Later, as Mary boards the bus, Hughes re-emphasizes the idea that Bill is irrevocably lost to Mary, just as the falling leaves are irrevocably lost to the trees from which they have fallen. People came between them outside, people crossing the street, people they didnt know. Space and people. She lost sight of Bill. The word early in the title is tricky. Bill too will be old one day, even if he cant see it at this moment. If Mary is undeniably in her autumn, Bill might not even recognize that he is in his early autumn. and he is the one most shocked by Marys aging. She takes him by surprise at a time in his life when he might have imagined himself immune to winter. A Spark of Hope and Meaning in a Turning Point of the Story Overall, Early Autumn feels sparse, like a tree nearly bare of leaves. The characters are at a loss for words, and readers can feel it. There is one moment in the story that feels noticeably different from the rest: Suddenly the lights came on up the whole length of Fifth Avenue, chains of misty brilliance in the blue air. This sentence marks a turning point in many ways: First, it signals the end of Bill and Marys attempt at conversation, startling Mary into the present.If the lights symbolize truth or revelation, then their sudden brightness represents the irrefutable passage of time and the impossibility of ever recovering or re-doing the past. That the lights run the whole length of Fifth Avenue further emphasizes the completeness of this truth; there is no way to escape the passage of time.Its worth noting that the lights turn on right after Bill says, You ought to see my kids and grins. Its a surprisingly unguarded moment, and its the only expression of genuine warmth in the story. Its possible that his and Marys children might represent those lights, being the brilliant chains that link the past with an ever-hopeful future.

Quality tools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Quality tools - Research Paper Example To begin with, this model is a self-assessment framework (Benjamin, 2006). It is mainly used for evaluating strengths in an organization and it is used for assessing or measuring areas for improvement in an organization. This process cuts across every activity that the organization engages in. Excellence is a term used to emphasize on the focal point of the model. This model mainly targets to analyze the things that an organization does. These activities are the efforts that an organization in question may employ to provide excellent services and products to the market or to its customers. It originated from the private sector, but it is a model that all organizations; public, voluntary and every other organization can apply to improve its performance in terms of products and services. Studies designate that this classical is non-prescriptive; this means there are no strict rules set out to be followed in order to achieve quality results. It employees broad and coherent set of assump tions that reveals what the organization and the management needs to do to make up a good and reputable organization. Because of its simplicity, every organization can use its own methods to manage and create improvements. This calls for internal use of methods in assumptions rather than the use of external evaluators. The excellence model starts with the customer, outcomes, people outcomes, and society outcomes, it is suggested that his important results are achieved through leadership driven policy strategy. It is revealed that people, resource leading and partnership form the key to excellence in terms of performance and results. The figure above shows the various criteria and their interrelation. It also gives the two broad categories: the enabler and the results. The model is used on nine important criteria to achieve results. This are used to cover all actions of the society and the ideas are in two types; enabler and results. Through the enabler standards, this is alarmed wit h how the organization demeanors itself: how it manages its capitals and its employees. This also gives information about how the organization lays out its strategies by reviewing its key process (Hansen, 2010). The key process is people, leadership, procedures, companies, incomes and every model aims to accomplish outcomes. The results are revealed after employing this model are the results of the quality tool use. The results involve the level of gratification among the employees, clients, and the impact on the larger community, while touching on the functioning signs. The organization more often begins by gathering evidence or relevant information about every criterion. For instance, questions may be direct to ask how good the organization is and the variation goes from one organization to another. There many benefits realized when EFQM is employed in an organization to improve quality. Firstly, excellent model provides a clear analysis of an organization`s activities, which beco mes useful for planning through links between the results and what the organization does. Through this model, it is possible to instill an organizational culture of continuous improvement. In addition, the model is a holistic framework addresses a wide range of organizational quality issues in a thorough manner

Climate Change and Soil Formation in Southern England Essay

Climate Change and Soil Formation in Southern England - Essay Example At the same time there has also been an increase in the population, and a change in the way individuals make a living and support themselves and their families. The first people to live in southern England were hunters and gatherers, but they slowly evolved into farmers as more people inhabited the area and methods of farming improved. Later, another change occurred with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, which changed farmers into industrial workers. These changes, along with climate changes have had an impact on the soil in southern England (Jarvis, 1984, 12). The start of climate change and its effect on soil began in southern England with the ice age. Approximately one-third of the earth was covered in snow and ice, and due to its location in the northern hemisphere, England was affected. While much of the country was covered year round with ice and snow, the southern parts occasionally had periods where the temperature would raise enough to melt some of the snow and ice and provide precipitation for the soil underneath (Bridges, 1997, 36). However, due to the cold temperatures, the ice age slowed the process of soil formation and change, essentially slowing the rate soil was able to intake precipitation. It also slowed the speed at which organic matter decomposed and the rate of plant and vegetation growth. This in return slowed the rate at which the soil could consume needed nutrients and organic matter, which slowed the entire process of formation and change. The ice age made an important contribution to the soil of southern England by bringing in new soil. The ice and snow that covered the area was brought from the north, and with it came a large amount of debris that included fine particles, small rocks, and even huge boulders (Bridges, 1997, 36). When the ice melted, the debris remained and became embedded in the soil. This provided the ground with a large amount of parent material in which young soil was able to begin formation and maturation. In certain areas, the effects of the ice age on soil and landscape can still be seen today. After the ice age passed and the climate changed to warmer weather, people started migrating from other parts of Europe into England. This was considered the Neolithic period and started around 4500 B.C. This period of time was essentially similar to the Stone Age, when houses, buildings, fences, etc. where all constructed out of rocks and stones. Many of these structures still exist, while others have been torn down or broken apart. This had an impact on the soil in southern England, due to the fact that remnants of this period, in the form of small rocks can be found embedded in the soil in certain areas. In addition, during this time and even into the Bronze Age, individuals moving to England were beginning to develop agriculture fields. These early farmers impacted the soil on their land by using domestic waste as fertilizer to provide extra nutrients and organic materials to the soil and the crops they were trying to grow. In addition to using fertilize during the Bronze Age to change the soil, tools, such as the plow, were introduced that assisted individuals in developing fields for agriculture. This led to farmers having the ability to grow a crop, plow the ground, and immediately replant a new crop. The constant presence of plant growth on

Of Mice and Men Novel Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Novel Essay The novel was set in California in 1937, on a barley farm. The book is about 2 guys named George and Lennie. They are 2 friends who travels around together going from workplace to work place, earning there keep. To achieve a dream a dream of owning there own piece of land to do whatever they want. There are alot of characters that are lonely in this novel. Candy is one, he is the oldest worker on the farm, and with being a pensioner he is also disabled, but not bye mental, but only has one hand. I think this is why people on the ranch dont really want to know him. Hes old and one-handed. Krooks is another lonely individual on the ranch, hes also one of a kind in the book. Hes the only black person there. Back then it was extremely common for there to be racism, so the fact that a negro was on the ranch made it incredibly hard for him. Curleys wife is another example of one of a kind on the ranch, she is the only woman on the ranch. Her husband curly is full of himself, and is always looking for a fight. So in order to speak to Curleys wife, is just asking for trouble. This doesnt help her, because at first people just think shes a slapper whose trying to get the guys at the ranch in trouble. but she really cant help feeling lonely and wanting a conversation with a human being now and then. Feisty Curly is very strict over her and almost has her imprisoned. A way Steinbeck has done this is because you dont even know her name. the fact that no one wants to get to know her, or just the fact she is kept away from society we dont even know her name. George and Lennie are two guys who are travelling around together, working around wherever they can to earn some money. George is the smaller of the two but the one with the brains. Lennie on the other hand is a big strong lump. The classic type of couple to go travelling around. Lennie isnt just all brute force, he is actually very affectionate he likes soft animals that he can pet. He doesnt quite understand his own power, as you will find out later. George takes care of Lennie through there travels, because Lennie wouldnt survive by himself. Even though Lennie is a burden on George, he doesnt just leave Lennie because he knows that hed be nothing without him. Lennie does respect George though like an older brother or parent, he will listen to everything George says and do it. But everyone else he couldnt give a damn! After a discussion Lennie and George were having about there dream place, George announces to Lennie he knows somewhere like theyve always talked about. Candy over hears as he is still in the room. Now Candy is an old swamper, who spends his time sweeping. He doesnt want to live the rest of his life like this. He interrupts there conversation, to give George a proposition of helping them out with the land. He offered a huge sum of money towards it. Maybe he was also buying himself into a relationship. He also offers to cook clean and other various chores around the place. After he offers the money they cant resist the offer or there dream would stay a dream forever. But I think they knew they could trust Candy as he hasnt got anything to live for or in any way betray the two. Crooks is the only nigger in this story. I think Steinbeck gave a sense that even if you didnt read the description of crooks you would know he was different somehow. He isnt allowed to play cards with the other guys in the bunkhouse, hes not even aloud in the bunkhouse. He has his own room out in the stables, its kind off like theyve just said, now hes out with the other animals. Just because he is a different colour, they just look down on him, like he is an animal. This shows the extent of the racism. But in one way this is the one thing, crook is aloud to have, that is his own personal space. I think the others respect this as they know if they want to come in, then they need his permission first. He is very sour towards white people, as what they have pout him and his family through for generations. So he is very bitter against racists, and white people in general. When Lennie is in the barn, after his pup died, via the over petting from Lennie. Curlys wife enters the scene. They sit and talk, at first Lennie wants to obey Georges orders, but she convinces him to settle down. I think Steinbeck made this scene more than just to put an end to Curlys wife. I think its also to bring the two most lonely people on the ranch together. All the men are outside horseshoeing, apart from Lennie. And Curlys wife just expelled from everyone as per usual. So after talking, they seem to have made friends. When lennie talks about his love of animals and soft things, she says he can touch her hair, because its soft. But now after Lennie touches her hair it has flipped the story right round to the beginning. Lennie not understanding the delicate female emotions. After stroking her hair for abit, she asks him to stop. But Lennie cant resist, and just has to keep stroking her. After this she thinks shes being attacked or assaulted. She gets very panicky, and starts screaming. This gets George very confused and scared. In shock he pleas for her to stop, with his hands around her mouth. This just gets her even more scared and she keeps going. Lennie not knowing what to do, gets angry that shes not listening to him and violently shakes her. Resulting in her breaking her neck. After he realises what hes done. He remembers what George told him, and runs away to the riverside where he was told to go if he caused trouble. Now after everyone had found out Curleys wife was dead George and curly knew there dream was shattered. Theres nothing they could do to save Lennie from a fait ending only with death. Candy seems very thoughtless and selfish, when he asks George George can we still do it? But I think hes just trying to keep his dream alive for a little more. He really needed an outlet from the life he is leading at this time. George must have been quite offended, especially how close he was to Lennie. But they both must have been annoyed. Theyve both just had there dream shattered in a moment. I think Candy wanted to keep it alive just for a little longer.

Business Description of Ben & Jerrys Essay -- essays research papers

Executive Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ben and Jerrys is a successful ice cream company with many strengths and weaknesses. The company faces serious competition, financial struggles, economic and social influences, all of which are covered in my paper. I also discussed some recommendations I have for the companies success. Ben and Jerry’s is one of the top ice cream companies around. They have had many ups and downs throughout the history of the company, but overall, they have overcome most of their hardships. They have some serious competition facing them in the ice cream industry; they have faced financial struggles, internal issues, and some social and economic factors. In conclusion, I have come up with a few recommendations for the company to possibly improve things in the future. Haagen Dazs is currently the main competitor in the concentrated market place for super premium ice cream. Substitutes are however available. There are other ice creams not in the â€Å"super premium† category. To an extent, these are the real competition. However, for the market B&J caters for, their strategies should not have a great impact on B&J. The frozen yogurt lines which B&J now provides, also has a number of direct competitors to deal with. Dealing with other substitutes is not that simple. Expensive (or inexpensive) chocolate, cakes, croissants and other desserts are realistic options for consumers. Other companies are going to try to assure you that their product is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. B&J needs to be aware of this. How he/she makes the choice for ice cream (as opposed to chocolate, etc.), then super premium (as opposed to premium or ordinary) and finally B&J (as opposed to Haagen Dazs etc.) is imperative. The possibility of new competition in the market place is limited by two major problems, the brand and distribution. Remembering that these are higher market consumers, where by cheap alternatives are not necessarily desired, then the key element is the brand. This brand and the image that comes along with it, are something currently only Haagan Dazs and B&J have. This emotional tie related to B&J’s and everything it possesses beyond what it is in itself (a good tasting ice cream), is something that will be difficult to imitate. It is a question of â€Å"I wouldn’t be seen dead eating another ice cream† as o... ...r Ben & Jerry Strengths Ben & Jerry have an established and recognized brand name. They have a relaxed, loyal and casual workforce. Good public and social image due to their principles in social awareness. Wide variety of flavors in ice cream for customers. Weaknesses Ben & Jerry have a limited target market. The suppliers and distributors (such as Dreyers) have high bargaining power, which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  allows them to raise their prices when they like. They have concentrated more on donating their money to charities therefore neglecting upcoming changes in trends. Declining market share. Slow development of new products. Opportunities Ben & Jerry should seek to globalize their product to compete effectively. Change their current suppliers and distributors, which might enable them to be more cost effective Threats Threat of substitutes Economical changes such as in inflation or consumer spending Social changes within the consumer market such as health conscience attitudes. Bibliography Ben and Jerrys Company Information, 2000. Woody Jackson. 1 May 2000 Haagen Dazs, 2000. 1 May 2000

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 11~12

Eleven Catfish Catfish awoke to find a paint-spattered woman padding about the house in nothing but a pair of wool socks, in which she had stuck several sable brushes that delivered ochre, olive, and titanium white strokes to her calves whenever she moved. Canvases were propped on easels, chairs, counters, and windowsills – seascapes every one. Estelle moved from canvas to canvas, palette in hand, furiously painting details in the waves and beaches. â€Å"Y'all woke up inspired,† Catfish said. It was past dusk, they had slept away the daylight. Estelle painted by the light of fifty candles and the orange glow that washed from the open doors of the wood stove. Color correctness be damned, these paintings should be viewed by fire. Estelle stopped painting and raised her brush arm to cover her breasts. â€Å"They weren't finished. I knew something was missing when I painted them, but I didn't know what until now.† Catfish cinched his pants around his waist and walked shirtless among the paintings. The waves writhed with tail and scale and teeth and talon. Predator eyes shone out of the canvases, brighter, it seemed, than the candles that lit them. â€Å"You done painted that old girl in all of 'em?† â€Å"It's not a girl. It's male.† â€Å"How you know that?† â€Å"I know.† Estelle turned and went back to her painting. â€Å"I feel it.† â€Å"How you know it look like that?† â€Å"It does, doesn't it? It looks like this?† Catfish scratched the stubble on his chin and pondered the paintings. â€Å"Close. But it ain't a boy. That ol' monster the same one come after me an Smiley for catchin its little one.† Estelle stopped painting and turned to him. â€Å"You have to play tonight?† â€Å"In a little while.† â€Å"Coffee?† He stepped up to her, took the brush and palette from her, and kissed her on the forehead. â€Å"That sho' would be sweet.† She padded to the bedroom and came back wearing a tattered kimono. â€Å"Tell me, Catfish. What happened?† He was sitting at the table. â€Å"I think we done broke a record. I'm sore.† Estelle smiled in spite of herself, but pressed on. â€Å"What happened back then, in the bayou? Did you call that thing up out of the water somehow?† â€Å"What you thinkin, woman? I can do that, you think I be playin clubs for drinks and part the door?† â€Å"Tell me how you felt back then, when that thing came out of the swamp.† â€Å"Scared.† â€Å"Besides that.† â€Å"Wasn't nothing besides that. You heard it. Scared is all there is.† â€Å"You weren't scared after we got back here last night.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Neither was I. What did you feel back then? Before and after the thing came after you.† â€Å"Not like I'm feelin now.† â€Å"And how is that?† â€Å"I'm feelin real good to be here talkin to you.† â€Å"No kidding. Me too. How about back then?† â€Å"Stop doggin me, girl. I'll tell you. But I gots to go play in an hour and I don't know that I can.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"The Blues ain't on me. You done chased 'em off.† â€Å"I can throw you out in the cold without a shirt if you think it will help.† Catfish squirmed in his chair. â€Å"Maybe some coffee.† Catfish's Story After we gets some distance from whatever chasin us, we stop the Model T Ford and me and Smiley put that big ol' catfish thing in the backseat – his tail hangin out one side an' his head out't'other. Now this ain't at all what I expected, and Smiley ain't got the Blues on him, but I'm gettin me a grand case myself. Then I realizes we got us five hundred dollar coming, and them ol' Blues done melt right away. I say, â€Å"Smiley, I believes we should have us some celebratin, startin with some liquor and endin up with some fine Delta pussy. What you say?† Ol' Smiley, like usual, don't wanna piss on the parade, but bein who he is, he point out we aint got no money and Ida May don't approve of no pussy more'en a hundred yard from the house. But he feelin it too, I can tell, and before long we headed down a back road to find a bootlegger I know down there name of Elmore that sells to colored folk. That ol' white boy ain't got but two teeth, but he grindin 'em when we pulls up, all mad and wavin his shotgun like we come to bust up his still. I say, â€Å"Hey, Elmore, how your lovely wife and sister?† He say she fine, but lessin we shows some money quick, he gonna shoot him some niggers and get back to her before she cool off. â€Å"We a little short,† I say. â€Å"But we have us five hundred dollar come morning iffin you kind enough to give us a jug on credit.† An' then I shows him the catfish. That boy liked to shit his pants, and I was hopin he would, just to cover the smell comin off him natural, but instead he say, â€Å"I ain't waitin 'til mornin'. You want a jug, you give me a hunk o' that catfish right now. A big hunk.† Smiley and I thinks it over, and before long we got us a half-gallon of corn mash and ol' Elmore got hisself enough catfish to feed his wives and children and them-thats both for a week or more. Up the road a spell and this old whore name of Okra givin us the same speech about money, plus she sayin we need to take us a bath before she let us anywhere near her girls. And I comes back with the five-hundred-dollar story. She say five hundred dollar tomorrow and we can come in tomorrow, but if we want some pussy tonight, she want a hunk of that old catfish in the back. Them hos can eat some catfish too, I'm tellin you. I thought Smiley finally gettin the Blues on him when I hears him sayin how he give up a hundred dollar worth of catfish just for a bath. But that his choice. He wait in the car 'til I'm done and we head off to find a place to sleep 'til morning when we can cash in the fish. We pulls down a side road into some bushes, and we commencin to get us some sleep after a drink or two, when who come out the woods but a whole bunch of boys wearin them white sheets and pointy hoods, sayin, â€Å"Nigger, I guess you didn't read the sign.† And they tie us up to that ol' catfish and make us drag it back in the woods to a big ol' fire they got goin. That sho' a chill, I gots to tell you. To this day I can't walk by sheets hangin on a line without my backbone freeze up. I knows we sho' gonna die now, sayin my prayers and all best I can, while them boys kickin me in the mouth an' such while eatin catfish pieces what they roasted on sticks. Then I feels it and the kickin stops. I see ol' Smiley lyin in the dirt, coverin his head with his arms, one ol' bloody eye lookin' over at me. He feel it too. Them Klansmen staring into the woods like they long-lost momma gonna come out, big ol' grins on they faces, half of 'em rubbin they dicks through they pants. And she come out, all right. Big as a train, a howl like to make your ears bust and bleed. She take two of them in the first bite. I don't have to write Smiley no letter. Before we can say somethin, we up and runnin, still tied up to what left of that catfish carcass, running back for the road. We finds us a knife in the car and we gets loose lickety-split – Smiley crankin that ol' Model T and me behind the wheel workin the choke. Hollerin and screamin comin out the woods sounding like music now, them Klansmen gettin all eat up. Then it get quiet, just the sound of our breath and Smiley crankin the Model T. I'm yellin for him to hurry, I can hear that thing crashin though the woods. And finally, the Model T cranks over, but I can hardly hear it, 'cause that old dragon thing done broken out the woods and lets go a roar. I tells Smiley to get in, but he run back to the back of the car. â€Å"What you doing?† I say. â€Å"Five hundred dollar,† he say. And I see he throwing the catfish in the backseat. That stinky thing ain't nothin but a head now, so Smiley throw it in by hisself. Then he makes to jump on the running board and I looks over and he just snatched out the air. Gone. And them jaws coming down for the second time when I pull that ol' Model T in gear and take off. Smiley gone. Gone. Next day I find that white man say he pay five hundred dollar for the catfish, and he look at that big fish head and jus laugh at me. I say I lose the best friend I ever had, he better give me my goddamn money. But he laugh and tell me go away. So I hit him. Took that old fish head to court with me, but it don't make no difference. That judge give me six months in jail – hittin a white man and all. He tell the bailiff, â€Å"Take Catfish away.† They call me Catfish since. I don't tell the story no more, but the name still there. Had the Blues on me ever since, but they ain't no makin amends. By the time I get out, Ida May die of grief, and I ain't got a friend alive. Been on the road since. That thing on the beach, make that sound, she lookin for me. Catfish â€Å"It's a male,† Estelle said. She didn't know what else to say. â€Å"How you know?† â€Å"I know.† She took his hand. â€Å"I'm sorry about your friend.† â€Å"I just wanted him to get the Blues on him so we can make us a record.† They sat there at the table for a while, holding hands. Catfish let his coffee go cold in the cup. Estelle ran the story around in her head, both relieved and fearful that the shadows in her paintings now had a shape. Somehow, as fantastic as it was, Catfish's story seemed familiar. She said, â€Å"Catfish, did you ever read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway?† â€Å"He that boy write about bullfights and fishing? I met him once, down Florida way. Why?' â€Å"You met him?† â€Å"Yeah, that sumbitch didn't believe that story neither. Said he like to fish, but he don't believe me. Why you ask?† â€Å"Never mind,† Estelle said. â€Å"If this thing eats people, don't you think we should report it?† â€Å"I been tellin folks about that monster for some fifty years, ain't no one believed me yet. Said I was the biggest liar ever come outta the Delta. I'd have me a big house and a stack of records if not for that. You call the law and tell them 'bout this, they gonna call you the crazy woman of Pine Cove.† â€Å"We already have one of those.† â€Å"Well, ain't no one gonna get eat but me, and if I lose this gig 'cause they thinkin I'm crazy, I have to be movin on then. You understand?† Estelle took Catfish's cup from the table and placed it in the sink. â€Å"You'd better get ready to go play.† Twelve Molly To distract herself from the dragon next door, Molly had put on her sweats and started to clean her trailer. She got as far as filling three black trash bags with junk food jetsam and was getting ready to vacuum up the collec-tion of sow bug corpses that dotted her carpet when she made the mistake of Windexing the television. Outland Steel: Kendra's Revenge was playing on the VCR and when the droplets of Windex hit the screen, they magnified the phosphorescent dots, making the picture look like an impressionist painting: Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Warrior Babe perhaps. Molly froze the frame on the gratuitous shower scene. (There was always a shower scene in the first five minutes of her films, despite the fact that Kendra lived on a planet almost completely devoid of water. To address this problem, one young director had gotten the bright idea of using â€Å"anti-radioactive foam† in the shower scene and Molly had spent five hours with whipped Ivory Snow suds being blown on to her by an offscreen Shop-Vac. She ended up playing the rest of the film in a Bedouin burnoose to cover the rash that developed all over her body.) â€Å"Art film,† Molly said, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, dowsing it with Windex for the fiftieth time. â€Å"I could have been a model in Paris in those days.† â€Å"Not a chance,† said the narrator. He was still around. â€Å"Too skinny. They liked fat chicks back then.† â€Å"I'm not talking to you.† â€Å"You've used half a bottle of Windex for this little trip to Paris.† â€Å"Seems like cheap travel to me,† Molly said. Even so, she got up and took two glasses from the top of the TV. She was taking them to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. She opened the door with the rims of the glasses pinched in one hand. Outside, two women in dresses and heels and lots of hair spray were standing on her steps. They were both in their early thirties, blonde, and wore stiff smiles of either insincerity or drug use, Molly couldn't be sure which. â€Å"Avon?† Molly asked. â€Å"No,† the blonde in front said with a titter. â€Å"I'm Marge Whitfield, this is Katie Marshall, we're from the Coalition for a Moral Society. We'd like to talk to you about our campaign to reinstate school prayer. I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time.† Katie was in pink. Marge in pastel blue. â€Å"I'm Molly Michon. I was just cleaning up a little.† Molly held up the two glasses. â€Å"Come on in.† The two women stepped in and stood in the doorway as Molly took the glasses to the sink. â€Å"You know, it's interesting,† Molly said, â€Å"but if you put Diet Coke in one glass, and regular Coke in another, and let them sit for, oh, say six months, then come back, there will be all sorts of green stuff growing on the regular Coke, but the Diet Coke will be as good as new.† Molly returned to the living room. â€Å"Can I get you two something to drink?† â€Å"No thank you,† Marge droned in robot response. She and Katie were staring at the paused image of a wet and naked Molly on the television screen. Molly breezed by them and flipped off the television. â€Å"Sorry, an art film I made in Paris when I was younger. Won't you sit down?† The women sat down next to each other on Molly's tattered couch, their knees pinched together so tight they could have crushed diamonds to powder. â€Å"I love your air freshener,† Katie said, trying to pull out of her terror. â€Å"It smells so clean.† â€Å"Thanks, it's Windex.† â€Å"What a cute idea,† Marge said. This was good, Molly thought. Normal people. If I can hold myself together for normal people like these, I'll be okay. This is good practice. She sat down on the floor in front of them. â€Å"So your name is Marge. You don't hear that outside of detergent commercials anymore. Did your parents watch a lot of TV?† Marge tittered. â€Å"It's short for Margaret, of course. My grandmother's name.† Katie jumped in. â€Å"Molly, we're very concerned that our children's education is totally without any spiritual instruction. The Coalition is collecting signatures for reinstatement of prayer in school.† â€Å"Okay,† Molly said. â€Å"You're new in town, aren't you?† â€Å"Why, yes, we've both moved here from Los Angeles with our husbands. A small town is just a better place to raise children, as I'm sure you know.† â€Å"Right,† Molly said. They had no idea who she was. â€Å"That's why I brought my little Stevie here.† Stevie was Molly's goldfish who had died during one of her stays in County. Now he lived in a Ziploc in her freezer and regarded her with a frosty gaze every time she retrieved some ice. â€Å"And how old is Stevie?† â€Å"Uh, seven or eight. I forget sometimes, it was a long labor.† â€Å"He's a year behind my Tiffany,† Marge said. â€Å"Well, he's a little slow.† â€Å"And your husband is†¦?† â€Å"Dead.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Katie said. â€Å"No need, you probably didn't kill him.† â€Å"Anyway,† Katie said, â€Å"we'd really like to have your signature to send to the state senate. Single mothers are an important part of our campaign. And we're also collecting donations for the campaign to have the Constitu-tion amended.† She put on an embarrassed smile. â€Å"God's work needs funding too.† â€Å"I live in a trailer,† Molly said. â€Å"We understand,† Marge said. â€Å"Finances are difficult for a single mother. But your signature is just as important to God's work.† â€Å"But I live in a trailer. God hates trailers.† â€Å"Beg pardon?† â€Å"He burns them up, freezes, them out, tears them up with tornadoes. God hates trailers. Are you sure I wouldn't be hurting your cause?† Katie giggled. â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Michon, don't be silly. Just last week I read where a woman's trailer was picked up by a tornado and dropped almost a mile away and she survived. She said that she was praying the whole time and that God had saved her. You see?† â€Å"Then who sent the tornado in the first place?† The two pastel women squirmed on the couch. The blue one spoke first. â€Å"We'd love to have you at our Bible study group, where we could discuss that, but we have to be getting along. Would you mind signing the peti-tion?† She pulled a clipboard out of her oversized purse and handed it over to Molly with a pen. â€Å"So if this works, kids will be able to pray in school?† â€Å"Why, yes.† Marge brightened. â€Å"So the Muslim kids can turn to Mecca seven times a day or whatever and it won't count against their grades?† The blue and pink pastel ladies looked at each other. â€Å"Well, America is a Christian nation, Mrs. Michon.† Molly didn't want them to think she was a pushover. She was a smart woman. â€Å"But kids of other faiths can pray too, right?† â€Å"I suppose so,† Katie said. â€Å"To themselves.† â€Å"Oh good,† Molly said as she signed the petition, â€Å"because I know that Stevie could move up to the Red Jets reading group if he could sacrifice a chicken to Vigoth the Worm God, but the teacher won't let him.† Why did I say that? Why did I say that? What if they ask where Stevie is? â€Å"Mrs. Michon!† â€Å"What? He'd do it at recess,† Molly said. â€Å"It's not like it would cut into study time.† â€Å"We are working on behalf of the One True God, Mrs. Michon. The Coalition is not an interfaith organization. I'm sure that if you had felt the power of His spirit, you wouldn't talk that way.† â€Å"Oh, I've felt it.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Of course. You can feel it too. Right now.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Molly handed the clipboard back to Katie and stood up. â€Å"Come next door with me. It'll only take a second. I know you'll feel it.† Theo Theo's hopes of finding Mikey Plotznik rose as he drove through the residential areas of Pine Cove. Nearly every neighborhood had two or three people out searching with flashlights and cell phones. Theo stopped and took reports from each search party, then made suggestions as if he had the slightest idea what he was doing. Who was he kidding? He couldn't even find his car keys half the time. Most of Pine Cove's neighborhoods were without sidewalks or street-lights. The canopy of pine trees absorbed the moonlight and darkness drank up Theo's headlights like an ocean of ink. He plugged his handheld spot-light in the lighter socket and swept it across the houses and into the vacant lots, spotting nothing but a pair of mule deer eating someone's rosebuds. As he drove by the beach park – a grass playground the size of a football field, surrounded by cypress trees and blocked from the Pacific wind by an eight-foot redwood fence – he spotted a flash of white moving on one of the picnic tables. He pulled into the parking strip beside the park and pointed the Volvo's headlights, as well as the spotlight, at the table. A couple was going at it right there on the table. The flash of white had been the man's bare ass. Two faces turned into the light, eyes as wide as the two deer Theo had surprised earlier. Normally, Theo would have driven on. He was used to finding people â€Å"in the act† in cars behind the Head of the Slug, or parked along the more rugged strips of coastline. He wasn't the sex police, after all. But tonight he was irritated by the scene. It had been almost a whole day since he'd had a hit from his Sneaky Pete. Maybe it's a symptom of withdrawal, he thought. He turned off the Volvo and got out, taking his flashlight with him. The couple scrambled into their clothes as he approached, but didn't try to es-cape. There was nowhere for them to go except over the fence, where a narrow beach was bordered on both sides by cliffs and washed by treach-erous, freezing rip tides. When he was halfway across the park, Theo recognized the fornicators and stopped. The woman, a girl really, was Betsy Butler, a waitress down at H.P.'s Cafe. She was struggling to pull down her skirt. The man, bald ing and slack-chested, was the newly widowed Joseph Leander. Theo flashed on the image of Bess Leander hanging from a peg in the spotless dining room. â€Å"A little discretion's in order here, you think Joe?† Theo shouted as he walked toward them. â€Å"Uh, it's Joseph, Constable.† Theo felt his scalp go hot with anger. He wasn't an angry man by nature, but nature hadn't been working the last few days. â€Å"No, It's Joseph when you're doing business or when you're grieving over your dead wife. When you're boning a girl half your age on a picnic table in a public park, it's Joe.† â€Å"I – we – things have been so difficult. I don't know what came over us – I mean, me. I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't suppose you've seen a kid around here tonight? A boy, about ten?† The girl shook her head. She was covering her face with one hand and staring into the grass at her feet. Joseph Leander's gaze darted around the park as if a magic escape hatch would open up in the dark if he could only spot it. â€Å"No, I haven't seen a boy.† Technically, Theo knew he could arrest them both on the spot for indecent exposure, but he didn't want to take the time to process them into County Justice. â€Å"Go home, Joe. Alone. Your daughters shouldn't be by themselves right now. Betsy, do you have a ride?† Without uncovering her face, she said, â€Å"I only live two blocks away.† â€Å"Go home. Now.† Theo turned and walked back to the Volvo. No one had ever accused Theo of being clever (except for the time at a college party when he fashioned an emergency bong out of a two-liter Coke bottle and a Bic pen), but he was feeling somewhat less than clever for not having investigated Bess Leander's death more carefully. It was one thing to be hired because you're thought to be a fool, it's quite another to live up to the reputation. Tomorrow, he thought. First find the kid. Molly Molly stood in the mud with the two pastel Christian ladies looking at the dragon trailer. â€Å"Can you feel it?† â€Å"Why, whatever do you mean?† Marge said. â€Å"That's just a dirty old trailer – excuse me – mobile home.† Until a second ago, she had only been concerned with her powder-blue high heels sinking into the wet turf. Now she and her partner were staring at the dragon trailer, wide-eyed. They could feel it, Molly could tell. She could feel it too: a low-grade sense of contentment, something vaguely sexual, not quite joy, but close. â€Å"You're feeling it?† The two women looked to each other, trying to deny that they were feeling anything. Their eyes were glazed over as if they'd been drugged, and they fidgeted as if suppressing giggles. Katie, the pink one, said, â€Å"Maybe we should visit these people.† She took a tentative step toward the dragon trailer. Molly stepped in front of her. â€Å"There's no one there. It's just a feeling. You two should probably go fill out your petition.† â€Å"It's late,† said powder blue. â€Å"Maybe one more visit, then we have to go.† â€Å"No!† Molly blocked their path. This wasn't as fun as she thought it would be. She had wanted to freak them out a little, not harm them. She had the distinct feeling that if they got any closer to the dragon trailer, school prayer would be losing two well-groomed votes. â€Å"You two need to get home.† She took each by a shoulder and led them back to the street, then pushed them toward the entrance of the trailer park. They looked longingly over their shoulders at the dragon trailer. â€Å"I feel the spirit moving in me, Katie,† Marge said. Molly gave them another push. â€Å"Right, that's a good thing. Off you go.† And she was supposed to be the crazy one. â€Å"Go, go, go,† Molly said. â€Å"I have to get Stevie's dinner ready.† â€Å"We're sorry we missed meeting your little boy,† Katie said. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Homework. See ya. Bye.† Molly watched the women walk out of the park and climb into a new Chrysler minivan, then she turned back to the dragon trailer. For some reason, she was no longer afraid. â€Å"You're hungry, aren't you, Stevie?† The dragon trailer shifted shape, angles melting to curves, windows going back to eyes, but the glow wasn't as intense as it had been in the early dawn. Molly saw the burned gill trees, the soot and blistered flesh between the scales. Soft blue lines of color flashed across the dragon's flanks and faded. Molly felt her heart sink in sympathy. This thing, whatever it was, was hurting. Molly took a few steps closer. â€Å"I have a feeling you're too old to be a Stevie. And the original Stevie might be offended. How about Steve? You look like a Steve.† Molly liked the name Steve. Her agent at CAA had been named Steve. Steve was a good name for a reptile. (As opposed to Stevie, which was more of a frozen goldfish name.) She felt a wave of warmth run through her amid the sadness. The monster liked his name. â€Å"You shouldn't have eaten that kid.† Steve said nothing. Molly took another step forward, still on guard. â€Å"You have to go away. I can't help you. I'm crazy, you know? I have the papers from the state to prove it.† The Sea Beast rolled over on his back like a submissive puppy and gave Molly a pathetically helpless look, no easy task for an animal capable of swallowing a Volkswagen. â€Å"No,† Molly said. The Sea Beast whimpered, no louder than a newborn kitten. â€Å"Oh, this is just swell,† Molly said. â€Å"Imagine the meds Dr. Val is going to put me on when I tell her about this. The vegetable and the lizard, that's what they'll call us. I hope you're happy.† Peer Pressure â€Å"But I don't want to go among mad people,† Alice remarked. â€Å"Oh, you can't help that,† said the cat. â€Å"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.† â€Å"How do you know I'm mad?† said Alice. â€Å"You must be,† said the cat, â€Å"or you wouldn't have come here.† – LEWIS CARROL, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Pecha Kucha

Alison Angell Sullivan English 1105B 2 December 2009 Odd Occurrences in Nature How we got started When presented with the task of making a pecha kucha, my partner and I brainstormed topics that interested us and then looked to see if we found any that were related. Giovanni and I both agreed that nature was a fascinating topic and at first thought we would take pictures of different parts of nature around campus and describe them in a photo essay.After realizing the topic was too vague, we narrowed our focus to interesting facts about animals and plants found in nature. I was unsure of how interesting our topic would be until Giovanni sent his list of strange facts he found on the Internet. I was astounded at the many things I was unaware of, one of my favorites being a praying mantis can turn its head 360 degrees, the only animal to be able to do so. The research portion of the project was by far one of the most interesting I have done for a project. I found myself wanting to look f or more.Giovanni and I mutually decided that the most logical way to present our topic would be in the form of a photo essay. We did most of our communication through Facebook messages and an occasional email. Giovanni and I worked independently to find the facts for our pecha kucha but messaged back and fourth daily to give each other feedback. Content The content for the pecha kucha my partner and I designed included interesting facts about a variety of animals and a few plants that we thought would be new information for the audience.The animals and plants we researched ranged all the way from birds in caves to the plants in the ocean. The content includes attention-grabbing facts such as penguins are able to jump six feet in the air, praying mantis’ are the only animal that are able to turn their heads 360 degrees, flamingos are pink because their diet is composed of mainly shrimp, mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue more than any other color, a snail can sleep up to three years at a time, a sea squirt eats its own brain and snakes can see through their eyelids.The facts I found most interesting were the praying mantis’ can turn their heads 360 degrees, some species of birds can dive 15 feet underwater to capture a fish, a headless cockroach can survive for a couple of weeks, and sea cucumbers eviscerate themselves when in danger so the predator will eat their insides while the cucumber scurries. The information we provided on our pecha kucha was found online from various websites except for the information about the swiftlet birds that compose their nests of saliva, which we learned from Mrs. Sullivan. FormBased on the content my partner and I chose for the project, we decided that something like a photo essay would be most appropriate to present the information. An actual photo essay would not work because we did not tell a story but instead, made a presentation about different plants and animals that all relate through nature. Also, we ruled out using a memoir format or a public service announcement seeing as our topic did not correspond with those two forms. The pecha kucha covers fifteen different organisms, some having more than one slide because of the amount of substance there is on those topics.The pecha kucha was made using Powerpoint and Windows Movie Maker. Both Giovanni and I were familiar with Powerpoint so I was able to make my slides through that processor and Giovanni, who is knowledgeable with Windows Movie Maker, was able to transfer my slides. Lastly, there was writing on each slide that Giovanni added using Paint on his computer to help give an overview of each slide. Why we chose the slide material My partner and I wanted to pick a topic that interested both of us. After deciding on elements of nature, we met with Mrs.Sullivan who sparked an idea to focus on interesting, unknown things about different organisms in nature. We were both intrigued by the subject, which made us want to choose it for our topic. After knowing that we were content with our topic, we knew that we had to present a pecha kucha that was going to be interesting to the audience. Giovanni and I agreed that since we were so amazed by the research we found, the class would most likely be as well. Both Giovanni and I split up to do research and messaged our findings to one another.After we had more than enough information, we chose what we thought were the most interesting facts that would surprise the audience the most. How we chose the design elements present in the slides The pecha kucha was made using Powerpoint because both Giovanni and I were familiar with how to use it and also Windows Movie Maker. We added writing to each of our slides to highlight what the slide was on to help the audience summarize what we were covering. There are two movies included in our presentation and a few topics that required more than one slide.For the design, we made sure to space the topics that required two slides and the movies evenly throughout the pecha kucha so that we would not have two similar groups of two slides next to each other or a movie next to another movie, to provide variety for the audience. Audio Component For the sound component of our pecha kucha, we chose to use pre-recorded audio. My partner has a fear of public speaking, which led us to using pre-recorder audio. Luckily, Giovanni has a headset and microphone, which we used to get the narration on the computer.After we recorded our audio, Giovanni used sound-editing computer software to format the audio and create an eloquent narrative. Giovanni and I did not use audio during the two slides that had videos, in order for the audience to be able to focus on the video. Due to the fact that our audio is pre-recorded and may not get as much attention as a live narration would, we used wording on each slide to give people a summary of what our audio was about. Compromises due to working with a partner I have never been a huge fan of partner projects because of my obsessive-compulsive personality.I am very controlling and feel that if things are not done by me, they will not be correct. I realize I am stubborn about these things and that working with a partner has upsides too. However, I usually like to take control and when working with a partner I am not always able to do that. Also, there had to be a compromise in scheduling. Giovanni and I had to compensate for each other’s schedules and find times to work together. Though I may have not had better ideas than my partner, I had to rid of some ideas because he did not agree and my partner had to rid of some of his ideas because I did not agree with them.Also, I compromised in the way our pecha kucha was presented. I found it much easier to present our project orally in front of the class, however, since my partner was shy about public speaking, we went with pre-recorded audio. Lastly, though not a compromise, I am not a fan of partner projects b ecause I am not a fan of confrontation. When I work on partner projects, I will rarely disagree with another person’s ideas because I try to avoid conflict, a flaw I need to work on. Benefits of having a partnerThough I am not interested in partner work, it does have benefits that can sometimes outweigh the compromises. Based off the saying â€Å"two heads are better than one,† working with a partner on this project helped lead to working on a very interesting topic that I would most likely not have thought of on my own. Also, since there were two people working on research, we were able to have an overflow of ideas and pick from those the most interesting, to create an intriguing pecha kucha. Whenever working solo on a project, it is hard to tell if your ideas make sense or have substance.By working with a partner, I was able to consult him on whether or not my ideas were going to benefit the project. Working with a partner benefitted me greatly when it came to the te chnical work of doing pre-recorded audio and inserting movies. My partner was able to put together the audio to fit with each slide and integrate movies into two of the slides, two things I would not have been able to do on my own. Why I enjoyed the project The pecha kucha assignment was one of the more enjoyable group projects I have had to do throughout school.What I liked most about the project was that we, the students, had the opportunity to basically create our own project. We were able to work with information we found interesting and had the opportunity to put it into several different forms. I sometimes find it challenging to start an assignment with as little reservations as this one, but with the help of a partner, the project came together smoothly. Overall, the ability to work with information that we found interesting made the pecha kucha assignment enjoyable. Pecha Kucha Alison Angell Sullivan English 1105B 2 December 2009 Odd Occurrences in Nature How we got started When presented with the task of making a pecha kucha, my partner and I brainstormed topics that interested us and then looked to see if we found any that were related. Giovanni and I both agreed that nature was a fascinating topic and at first thought we would take pictures of different parts of nature around campus and describe them in a photo essay.After realizing the topic was too vague, we narrowed our focus to interesting facts about animals and plants found in nature. I was unsure of how interesting our topic would be until Giovanni sent his list of strange facts he found on the Internet. I was astounded at the many things I was unaware of, one of my favorites being a praying mantis can turn its head 360 degrees, the only animal to be able to do so. The research portion of the project was by far one of the most interesting I have done for a project. I found myself wanting to look f or more.Giovanni and I mutually decided that the most logical way to present our topic would be in the form of a photo essay. We did most of our communication through Facebook messages and an occasional email. Giovanni and I worked independently to find the facts for our pecha kucha but messaged back and fourth daily to give each other feedback. Content The content for the pecha kucha my partner and I designed included interesting facts about a variety of animals and a few plants that we thought would be new information for the audience.The animals and plants we researched ranged all the way from birds in caves to the plants in the ocean. The content includes attention-grabbing facts such as penguins are able to jump six feet in the air, praying mantis’ are the only animal that are able to turn their heads 360 degrees, flamingos are pink because their diet is composed of mainly shrimp, mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue more than any other color, a snail can sleep up to three years at a time, a sea squirt eats its own brain and snakes can see through their eyelids.The facts I found most interesting were the praying mantis’ can turn their heads 360 degrees, some species of birds can dive 15 feet underwater to capture a fish, a headless cockroach can survive for a couple of weeks, and sea cucumbers eviscerate themselves when in danger so the predator will eat their insides while the cucumber scurries. The information we provided on our pecha kucha was found online from various websites except for the information about the swiftlet birds that compose their nests of saliva, which we learned from Mrs. Sullivan. FormBased on the content my partner and I chose for the project, we decided that something like a photo essay would be most appropriate to present the information. An actual photo essay would not work because we did not tell a story but instead, made a presentation about different plants and animals that all relate through nature. Also, we ruled out using a memoir format or a public service announcement seeing as our topic did not correspond with those two forms. The pecha kucha covers fifteen different organisms, some having more than one slide because of the amount of substance there is on those topics.The pecha kucha was made using Powerpoint and Windows Movie Maker. Both Giovanni and I were familiar with Powerpoint so I was able to make my slides through that processor and Giovanni, who is knowledgeable with Windows Movie Maker, was able to transfer my slides. Lastly, there was writing on each slide that Giovanni added using Paint on his computer to help give an overview of each slide. Why we chose the slide material My partner and I wanted to pick a topic that interested both of us. After deciding on elements of nature, we met with Mrs.Sullivan who sparked an idea to focus on interesting, unknown things about different organisms in nature. We were both intrigued by the subject, which made us want to choose it for our topic. After knowing that we were content with our topic, we knew that we had to present a pecha kucha that was going to be interesting to the audience. Giovanni and I agreed that since we were so amazed by the research we found, the class would most likely be as well. Both Giovanni and I split up to do research and messaged our findings to one another.After we had more than enough information, we chose what we thought were the most interesting facts that would surprise the audience the most. How we chose the design elements present in the slides The pecha kucha was made using Powerpoint because both Giovanni and I were familiar with how to use it and also Windows Movie Maker. We added writing to each of our slides to highlight what the slide was on to help the audience summarize what we were covering. There are two movies included in our presentation and a few topics that required more than one slide.For the design, we made sure to space the topics that required two slides and the movies evenly throughout the pecha kucha so that we would not have two similar groups of two slides next to each other or a movie next to another movie, to provide variety for the audience. Audio Component For the sound component of our pecha kucha, we chose to use pre-recorded audio. My partner has a fear of public speaking, which led us to using pre-recorder audio. Luckily, Giovanni has a headset and microphone, which we used to get the narration on the computer.After we recorded our audio, Giovanni used sound-editing computer software to format the audio and create an eloquent narrative. Giovanni and I did not use audio during the two slides that had videos, in order for the audience to be able to focus on the video. Due to the fact that our audio is pre-recorded and may not get as much attention as a live narration would, we used wording on each slide to give people a summary of what our audio was about. Compromises due to working with a partner I have never been a huge fan of partner projects because of my obsessive-compulsive personality.I am very controlling and feel that if things are not done by me, they will not be correct. I realize I am stubborn about these things and that working with a partner has upsides too. However, I usually like to take control and when working with a partner I am not always able to do that. Also, there had to be a compromise in scheduling. Giovanni and I had to compensate for each other’s schedules and find times to work together. Though I may have not had better ideas than my partner, I had to rid of some ideas because he did not agree and my partner had to rid of some of his ideas because I did not agree with them.Also, I compromised in the way our pecha kucha was presented. I found it much easier to present our project orally in front of the class, however, since my partner was shy about public speaking, we went with pre-recorded audio. Lastly, though not a compromise, I am not a fan of partner projects b ecause I am not a fan of confrontation. When I work on partner projects, I will rarely disagree with another person’s ideas because I try to avoid conflict, a flaw I need to work on. Benefits of having a partnerThough I am not interested in partner work, it does have benefits that can sometimes outweigh the compromises. Based off the saying â€Å"two heads are better than one,† working with a partner on this project helped lead to working on a very interesting topic that I would most likely not have thought of on my own. Also, since there were two people working on research, we were able to have an overflow of ideas and pick from those the most interesting, to create an intriguing pecha kucha. Whenever working solo on a project, it is hard to tell if your ideas make sense or have substance.By working with a partner, I was able to consult him on whether or not my ideas were going to benefit the project. Working with a partner benefitted me greatly when it came to the te chnical work of doing pre-recorded audio and inserting movies. My partner was able to put together the audio to fit with each slide and integrate movies into two of the slides, two things I would not have been able to do on my own. Why I enjoyed the project The pecha kucha assignment was one of the more enjoyable group projects I have had to do throughout school.What I liked most about the project was that we, the students, had the opportunity to basically create our own project. We were able to work with information we found interesting and had the opportunity to put it into several different forms. I sometimes find it challenging to start an assignment with as little reservations as this one, but with the help of a partner, the project came together smoothly. Overall, the ability to work with information that we found interesting made the pecha kucha assignment enjoyable.

Parthenon Sculptures

A History of the Elgin Marbles/Parthenon Sculptures The Elgin Marbles are a source of controversy between modern Britain and Greece. Its a collection of stone pieces rescued/removed from the ruins of the Ancient Greek Parthenon in the nineteenth century, and now in demand to be sent back from the British Museum to Greece. In many ways, the Marbles are emblematic of the development of modern ideas of national heritage and global display, which argues that localized regions have the best claim over items produced there. Do the citizens of a modern region have any claim over items produced in that region by people thousands of years ago? There are no easy answers, but many controversial ones. The Elgin Marbles At its broadest, the term Elgin Marbles refers to a collection of stone sculptures and architectural pieces which Thomas Bruce, Seventh Lord Elgin, gathered during his service as ambassador to the court of the Ottoman Sultan in Istanbul. In practice, the term is commonly used to refer to the stone objects he gathered- an official Greek website prefers â€Å"looted†- from Athens between 1801–05, particularly those from the Parthenon; these included 247 feet of a frieze. We believe that Elgin took around half of what was surviving at the Parthenon at that time. The Parthenon items are increasingly, and officially, called the Parthenon Sculptures. In Britain Elgin was heavily interested in Greek history and claimed he had the permission of the Ottomans, the people ruling Athens during his service, to gather his collection. After acquiring the marbles, he transported them to Britain, although one shipment sank during transit; it was fully recovered. In 1816, Elgin sold the stones for  £35,000, half his estimated costs, and they were acquired by the British Museum in London, but only after a Parliamentary Select Committee- a very high-level  body of inquiry- debated the legality of Elgin’s ownership. Elgin had been attacked by campaigners (then as now) for â€Å"vandalism,† but Elgin argued the sculptures would be better cared for in Britain and cited his permissions, documentation which campaigners for the return of the Marbles often now believe supports their claims. The committee allowed the Elgin Marbles to stay in Britain. They are now displayed by the British Museum. The Parthenon Diaspora The Parthenon and its sculptures/marbles have a history which stretches back 2500 years when it was built to honor a goddess called Athena. It has been a Christian church and a Muslim mosque. It has been ruined since 1687 when gunpowder stored inside exploded and attackers bombarded the structure. Over the centuries, the stones which both constituted and adorned the Parthenon had been damaged, especially during the explosion, and many have been removed from Greece. As of 2009, the surviving Parthenon sculptures are divided among museums in eight nations, including the British Museum, the Louvre, the Vatican collection, and a new, purpose-built museum in Athens. The majority of the Parthenon Sculptures are split evenly between London and Athens. Greece Pressure for the return of the marbles to Greece has been growing, and since the 1980s the Greek government has officially asked for them to be permanently repatriated. They argue that the marbles are a prime piece of Greek heritage and were removed with the permission of what was effectively a foreign government, as Greek independence only occurred a few years after Elgin was collecting. They also argue that the British Museum has no legal right to the sculptures. Arguments that Greece had nowhere to adequately display the marbles because they can’t be satisfactorily replaced in Parthenon have been made null and void by the creation of a new  £115 million Acropolis Museum with a floor recreating the Parthenon. In addition, massive works to restore and stabilize the Parthenon and the Acropolis have been, and are being, carried out. The British Museum’s Response The British Museum has basically said no to the Greeks. Their official position, as given on their website in 2009, is: â€Å"The British Museum’s Trustees argue that the Parthenon Sculptures are integral to the Museum’s purpose as a world museum telling the story of human cultural achievement. Here Greece’s cultural links with the other great civilizations of the ancient world, especially Egypt, Assyria, Persia, and Rome can be clearly seen, and the vital contribution of ancient Greece to the development of later cultural achievements in Europe, Asia, and Africa can be followed and understood. The current division of the surviving sculptures between museums in eight countries, with about equal quantities present in Athens and London, allows different and complementary stories to be told about them, focusing respectively on their importance for the history of Athens and Greece, and their significance for world culture. This, the Museum’s Trustees believe, is an arrangement that gives maximum public benefit for the world at large and affirms the universal nature of the Gree k legacy.† The British Museum has also claimed they have a right to keep the Elgin Marbles because they effectively saved them from further damage. Ian Jenkins was quoted by the BBC, while associated with the British Museum, as saying â€Å"If Lord Elgin did not act as he did, the sculptures would not survive as they do. And the proof of that as a fact is merely to look at the things that were left behind in Athens.† Yet the British Museum has also admitted that the sculptures were damaged by â€Å"heavy-handed† cleaning, although the precise level of damage is disputed by campaigners in Britain and Greece. Pressure continues to build, and as we live in a celebrity-driven world, some have weighed in. George Clooney and his wife Amal are the most high profile celebrities to call for the marbles to be sent to Greece, and his comments received what is, perhaps, best described as a mixed reaction in Europe. The marbles are far from the only item in a museum which another country would like back, but they are among the best known, and many people resistant to their transfer fear the complete dissolution of the western museum world should the floodgates be open. In 2015, the Greek government declined to take legal action over the marbles, interpreted as a sign that there is no legal right behind Greek demands.

Idiom

Idiom Idiom Idiom By Maeve Maddox Because I’m in the habit of blithely flinging the word idiom about as if everyone should know what I mean by it, this comment from a reader brought me up short: I guess I dont know what an idiom is. The word idiom derives from a Greek word meaning â€Å"appropriate to oneself.† In the context of language, an idiom is a usage peculiar to a particular language. When I use the word idiom, I usually mean one of two things: 1. A construction or usage peculiar to English For example, in English, we state our age with the verb to be: â€Å"I am twenty-one years old.† Speakers of French and Spanish, on the other hand, use their verbs for to have (avoir and tener): â€Å"J’ai vingt-et-un ans.† â€Å"Tengo vientiuno†- literally, â€Å"I have twenty-one years.† These distinctive ways of stating age in different languages are idioms. 2. An expression that means something other than what is expressed by the individual words in it For example, consider the words kick and bucket. The meaning of to kick is â€Å"to thrust out the foot or feet with force.† The meaning of bucket is â€Å"a vessel for catching, holding, or carrying liquids or solids.† Kick and bucket may be used with their denoted meanings: The girl overturned the bucket when she kicked it. The frustrated farmer kicked the bucket down the hill. But the idiom â€Å"to kick the bucket,† conveys a meaning that has nothing obvious to do with kicking or buckets: I don’t want to kick the bucket until I’ve seen Rome. The idiom â€Å"to kick the bucket† means â€Å"to die.† The adjective for idiom is idiomatic. When I say that a particular usage as idiomatic, I mean that it â€Å"sounds right† in English. For example, here are two examples of unidiomatic English from sales letters: UNIDIOMATIC ENGLISH: I have a huge interest in making business with you. IDIOMATIC ENGLISH: I’m very interested in doing business with you. UNIDIOMATIC ENGLISH: On getting an opportunity, I can add value to your content writing solution. IDIOMATIC ENGLISH: Given the opportunity, I can add value to your site content. The word idiom is also used with these meanings: 3. The kind of language and grammar used by a particular people at a particular time or place. So, too, in the expressive language  of Wall Street  do we find illumination of all that has taken place. For in its  idiom  is crystallized the wisdom of a hundred years. 4. The style of writing, music, art, etc. that is typical of a particular time or place. Coplands music was infused with the folk and jazz idioms of America. Related post: Idiomatic English Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 10144 Resume Writing TipsTrooper or Trouper?

International business class (Discussion Board) Assignment - 4

International business class (Discussion Board) - Assignment Example Thus a country achieves a more competitive advantage from manufacturing better products due to high competition. Related and supporting industries also play a role in determining the competitiveness of an economy. These supporting industry help set the price point by lowering costs of production so that the goods produced are of attractive buying prices hence ensuring survival in the market. Firm strategy, structure and rivalry are the last but not least of the factors. The strategies adopted by a firm help it seek and maximize opportunities. Strategic alliances help a firm to be more competitive and dominate a market sector. Rivalry is what breeds competition and this is very important if the products in the market are to be of great quality. In response to answer 1 given, this answer falls short of detailing the individual factors and how they affect competitiveness in individual capacities. The answer is very general. It also speaks of technology as the only factor that influences production. This is not a fair assessment since there are more factors that affect competitiveness and production of a firm other than technology. Demand should have been mentioned as part of what constitutes factors that influence national